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An International Treasure - A South Brunswick Secret He was, perhaps, South Brunswick's best kept secret. Despite his profound influence on the national and international arts community, he was fiercely protective of his privacy. He never strayed from his simple, South Brunswick farming roots. His works have been exhibited around the world, and he has been the object of more books and articles and museum guides than most of us believe exist. To our nation and, indeed, to the world, he was one of the 20th century's preeminent figures in the arts. George Segal changed the face of American art; and for each of the millions who have seen his work, he touched us, and changed us as only a master could. At the age of 75, George Segal passed away on June 9, 2000. The loss of his brilliant presentation - his uncanny ability to teach us through his works - his unequalled talent for making us take a closer look at ourselves and our place among those around us - cannot be replaced. For 42 years, the chicken coops behind Mr. Segal's were his studio. Originally a painter, it was in the coops where Mr. Segal reinvented American art; and it was during the decade of the 1960s when he was widely recognized as a founder of Pop Art. His life-size renderings of daily life, his simple depiction of the human condition, remind us how much a part of our surroundings we are, and just how fragile that balance really is. Most compelling, for me, is that each of his works, in and of itself, is a story. And through virtually every one, Mr. Segal offered us an anecdote or a lesson - if only we took the time to absorb it. The first occasion I had to meet Mr. Segal was in 1995 when, as Deputy Mayor, I was tasked to seek an appointment with this "South Brunswick artist" to enlist his assistance in developing a poster to promote our Anne Frank In the World exhibit. After a few phone calls, and after explaining what was being asked of him, he granted me an appointment amid his hectic schedule. He explained, apologized really, that he was extremely busy preparing for an upcoming exhibition of his works, but that he could surely give me ten minutes of his time. I hoped that within those scant ten minutes he would agree to create our poster. Upon my arrival for our meeting at his studios, the 1950's era chicken coops behind his home, Mr. Segal invited me inside. He wanted to hear more about the exhibit. Then he wanted to hear about my involvement with the exhibit. How did I hear about it? Why did I want to bring it here? What did this town hope to accomplish with such an exhibit? He probed, and prodded and challenged. I began to worry. Some number of hours later, as my ten minute appointment neared an end, Mr. Segal had offered me a tour of his artistic treasures. He regaled me with the story behind many of his works. He asked me what I saw, and he helped me understand the meaning of the small details, seemingly hidden in plain view within so many of his sculptures. We spoke at length that day of my father's work as an architect - and it was then I learned that Mr. Segal, too, had trained as an architect. Walking through his studios that day was actually a walk through life or, in some instances, the life we have been fortunate never to experience. Having Mr. Segal as a tour guide was an honor as incomparable as it was profound. My ten minute meeting, all several hours of it, was the first of four times Mr. Segal invited me into his studio to see the world through his eyes. Each time, he taught me something I hadn't known; each encounter made me realize a truth which previously eluded me; and every so often he confronted me with an experience I probably wished not to know. In every instance, he was the teacher, and I was enriched. That day, Mr. Segal did agree to produce our promotional posters. In fitting tribute to the haunting and thought provoking works he is more famous for, Mr. Segal took a simple photograph, a well known image of Anne Frank, and transformed it into the basis for our posters. Now, five years after he invited me to spend ten minutes with him, I sit here and look at one of the original posters which this modern American Master signed for me. I know now, as I knew then, that George Segal was more than the mere simple man he quietly professed to be. Many artists can paint a scene or sculpt a form or draw an image which reflects a scene around us. George Segal was able to produce works which made us look inside ourselves, and which provoked us to come to know ourselves just a little bit better. The world and our nation will surely miss his insight and his vision and his art. Here in South Brunswick, we barely knew the treasure who walked among us. That, after all, was the way he wanted it. He told me over and over again, "My name is George." Despite that, I could only ever bring myself to call him Mr. Segal. Thank you, George.
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